Swap Our Places
by Lapis Love
Summary: Rebekah won't erase my memories of Elena, so I'll take care of the problem myself. Whoops there goes my humanity, and hello anarchy, ain't no one getting out of this alive. Maybe except for my partner-in-crime, Bonnie unless of course she turns my arse to ash, too, but then again that might be fun. Rippah!Stefan/Dark!Bonnie. Takes place after 4x10.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Bad me, how dare I start another story when I have so many that are unfinished. Well I wanted to take a pause from the Bamon train I've been on to try to show some love for Stefonnie. I know I have Wide Awake that needs to be updated, but my muse for that has just ran off to get married in Vegas or something. This was a story idea I put out on Tumblr about Ripper!Stefan/Dark Bonnie. This story takes place after 4x10 where Elena lets the whole world know exactly why she gave up the cookies to Damon and Stefan's reaction afterward. And you know me strong language and sexual situations ahead, just fair warning. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

"_I didn't sleep with Damon because of the sire bond. I slept with Damon because I'm in love with him."_

Those words, her words kept playing through his mind in one continuous, torturous loop that mocked him from the moment he first heard them, to the time he ran through the halls to get away from Werewolf Tyler, to the point he walked away with what strength and dignity he had left from Elena who pursued him to talk. What the fuck else was there left to say? Stefan didn't want to hear it. He didn't need a recap of her night with his brother. Knowing the two of them had sex was bad enough, but knowing he couldn't exactly pin that on the sire bond, Stefan felt he had no cards left to play.

It was over. Whatever tiny shred of hope that he could get back the girl he fell in love with had been blown to kingdom come with Elena's confession, her declaration he should say. And she hadn't exactly spilled the beans remorsefully; she said it almost braggingly, which probably hurt more than anything. Elena was proud of the fact that she slept with Damon because she was following her "feelings" and Elena's feelings were always right and justified.

Rip his heart out. How many times? In how many ways? And they ALL involved his brother.

_No!_ Stefan's mind roared as he scrubbed his hands roughly down his face and through his hair. He wasn't going to put himself through this. He had been right when he and Elena stood on Wickery Bridge that he lost her the minute he walked away, left with Klaus all to save his stupid brother's life. He came back to Mystic Falls, had his life turned upside down, made a royal mess of everything, hurt and damaged the people he thought he cared about, and he did it all in the name of love.

Why? What had been the stupid fucking point?

He didn't have anything to show for it but pain. The kind of endless pain that made it impossible to sit still, to think rationally and carry on with life as if nothing were remiss. For so long Stefan walked the fine line between being decent and being a bastard because he didn't want to hurt anyone, yet people had no problems hurting him.

Maybe he was being a bit melodramatic, but whatever.

_I think I make him sad...he looks at me like I'm a project...something to fix...like a broken toy...and I can't be with someone like that..._

Rage bubbled and dissipated and came rushing back to the surface only for his humanity to temper it, make excuses for why it wouldn't be a wise decision to rip into some throats and spill a little blood right now.

And Damon? Ha, Stefan's mind turned sharply to think of his brother. Stefan was not an idiot. He had been right when he stood in front of Damon and told him not to pretend that hearing the news about his breakup with Elena wasn't the happiest day of his life. Damon had no scruples, Stefan was well aware of that, but for once maybe he hoped his brother might actually put his feelings first, and not try to screw him over.

Welp, he did some screwing all right.

_He makes me feel...free...its unpredictable..._

Dropping his weight into one of the chairs facing the fireplace, Stefan leaned back and focused his eyes on the ceiling. What was he supposed to do now? Continue to exhaust all possible leads to find the stupid cure, force it down Elena's throat, and make her _really _decide if her feelings for Damon were genuine?

Stefan didn't know about anyone else but that route just wasn't appealing at all. Even if Elena was being led by the nose by the sire bond, and her feelings for Damon were just extreme fondness, Stefan could never take her back. There would be no erasing the fact that she had spread her legs—willingly—for his brother. She kissed him, did other things that were permanently etched in Stefan's brains, and no amount of Tide was going to remove that stain. There was no going back and no starting over. He was done being hurt by a teenager, by his brother. He was done being hurt—period.

Besides feelings made him weak, emotion kept him complacent, and in line. In bondage, and Stefan was screaming for his freedom. Maybe this was taking the easy way out, but it would be much better than walking through life feeling…well…like Damon.

Stefan chuckled drily.

A tear annoyingly ran from the corner of his eye and down his cheek. Stefan didn't even bother to wipe it off because he wanted to remember this moment. Remember his last conscious thought as a vampire who was actively involved in keeping several humans alive because they had become something of a family to him. He wanted to remember all the times Caroline made him laugh, or Bonnie impressed him with her magic, or Jeremy stood up to him or his brother in regards to his sister. He wanted to remember just for this second that he actually cared whether or not Damon lived, that he actually loved his brother. He wanted to remember how Elena used to make him feel when her feelings for him had been pure and reciprocated.

Rebekah wouldn't do him one by erasing the last two years of his life away, but Stefan had an alternative to not feeling pain or emotion anymore. If he didn't care who was bedding who, going through life wouldn't feel like being run through with a hot poker. There was but so much pretending that everything was okay that Stefan was willing to do, and right now he was officially done.

Done with everything.

For two years he bled for that bitch, bled for that bastard, and as far as he was concerned, they could have each other. Damon took his best friend away from him, now his girl. And Stefan knew his ledger wasn't without blood. He had taken just as much from Damon and now in his mind they were even.

Stefan blinked slowly, listened to the soft beat of his heart, and then he just shut it off. It fell heavily like a guillotine blade beheading him, cutting him completely off. It happened so instantaneously he didn't even have time to change his mind. One minute the hurt, pain, the anger and long suffering coiled inside like a parasite, and the next there was nothing but a void, a humming noise in which no other sound followed thereafter.

Stefan looked around the living room, at the furnishings, before pushing himself to his feet. He licked his canine and grinned.

* * *

There were several dangerous things about vampires. They were built for speed, inhuman strength, had an incurable lust for blood, could eradicate human free will. Atticus Shane already knew that about vampires, had written several books and papers on the subject and in his honest opinion they were merely the muscle in the supernatural hierarchy of things.

The real talent lied in witches. They were the ones who made all the rules and all supernatural entities. They were the ones who decided at the drop of a dime on whether you lived to see another day, or if you would be reduced to nothingness.

He dodged a real big bullet the other night. If he hadn't taught Bonnie how to practice expression without fear or limits or boundaries, she wouldn't have been able to perform that protection spell which ultimately saved his life. Oh, sure he might feel a little bad that he duped Bonnie into tying his life with another person, and having that person literally take the fall, but he needed to remain alive and Bonnie would need him to make sure _she _stayed alive if they had any hope to reach Silas.

Naturally he couldn't expose why she was so important to everything. All Shane wanted Bonnie to be concerned with was keeping Jeremy safe, and keeping herself stable. He'd worry about all the rest. With the Mikaelsons hopefully thinking he's dead that should squelch any future attempts on his life.

It had been such a trip to come face to face with the Original vampire family, although Shane wouldn't say they were the first of their kind, just the first on what had yet to become American soil. Shane wasn't in the business of bursting bubbles, and so long as Klaus, Rebekah, and Kol thought they were something special they'd be too distracted on one upping each other, and not on what he was really after.

Unfortunately, Shane had no choice but to tell Kol enough of his plans that he probably sent the Original off on a tangent to tie up any perceived loose ends that led to Silas' resurrection. He saw it, it may have been fleeting, but Shane saw the disbelief flicker in Kol's eyes when he mentioned raising Silas who could raise the dead.

Kol knew something, and whatever that something was Shane figured he had to get to Silas before the Original put all the pieces of the puzzle together, and ruined everything.

He couldn't afford to have _anything _happen to Bonnie. That's why he was now searching through all the file drawers in his office looking for the protection charm he smuggled back from Scotland. He had already given Bonnie one token—the necklace worn by Qetsiyah—but she would need something else to make sure a vampire wouldn't come sneaking up behind her to snap her neck or drain her dry.

"Yes," Shane hissed when he found it and then suddenly he was violently turned around and thrust into the metal file cabinets jostling the items on top, which a few crashed to the floor. Heart beating erratically, Shane ordered himself to calm down. It was only, "Stefan Salvatore…to what do I owe this visit?"

Stefan tilted his head to the side. "You and I are going to have a little talk, Professor."

Shane attempted to smile but there was something disconcerting about Stefan. He hadn't spent much time in this particular vampire's company. He had had more lengthy discussions with the elder Salvatore who made him just a touch uneasy, but not so much. Damon might have prided himself on being unflappable and unhinged, but Shane had learned enough to discover what his Achilles Heel was. One of them was currently tightening his hands in the lapels of his jacket.

"Talk about what?" Shane asked steadily.

"The cure of course," Stefan replied nonchalantly. "Have a seat."

Before Shane could object or make up some excuse for why now was not a good time, he found his body being hurled across the room where his shoulder made contact with the hard floor underneath. Groaning and coughing because the wind had been knocked out of him, Shane didn't have a chance to right himself before he was jacked to his feet and subsequently slammed into his chair. Stefan moved around him like a whirlwind and by the time he stopped, Shane looked down at his bound hands and feet.

"This is a bit much don't you think?" Shane chuckled nervously. "I don't suffer from ADHD," he squirmed in the chair to test the strength of the binds. Yep, he wouldn't be going anywhere for a while. And the more he moved, the more the ropes sawed into his flesh causing him to wince against the pain.

Stefan casually took a seat on the edge of the Professor's desk. "Where's the cure?"

"Like I'm going to tell you that. You're wasting your time if you think you can intimidate me to give up my leverage. I can't be compelled either so don't bother."

"Well that's unfortunate…for you," Stefan said coldly.

Shane looked at him—closely—and noticed that Stefan's eyes were soulless. It didn't take him long to figure things out. Stefan wasn't here to get MapQuest directions to the cure; he was here to kill him.

Stefan eyed Shane and smirked to himself. He could tell the man was using everything within him not to soil his shorts but to come off as cool, calm, and collected, but he was failing.

"Why don't we get started," Stefan said and produced a pair of wire cutters. "Now I'm going to ask you a series of questions and based on how you answer, meaning if I believe you or not, you get to keep a finger. If I don't like your answer, meaning I think you're lying to me, you lose a finger and I'll even let you pick which one. If I run out of fingers to cut off, I go for your toes, and if I run out of toes then I start hacking off _other _appendages. Hopefully things won't come to that, Professor, do you mind if I call you Shane?" Stefan paused and looked at the tied up man in the chair.

Shane gulped reflexively but said nothing.

Stefan shrugged, unaffected and continued, "I'm sure you're probably thinking that I won't really resort to dismembering you to get what I'm after. So I feel a little demonstration is in order just so you know I'm _not _fucking around. A lot of people talk a good game, Shane, but I'm not one of those people. I do what I say."

Stefan walked over to the helpless professor who tried not to flail around, but it was impossible especially when his eyes landed on the wire cutters that were slowly inching their way towards his left pinky.

"Wait!" Shane cried out.

"Shush," Stefan crooned. "You'll only make it worse if you keep moving."

"Stop this! You don't have to do this to get information out of me! But I doubt I know anymore than what you've probably already pieced together."

Stefan peered down at Shane for a moment—contemplating. "What do you think I already know?"

Shane attempted to breathe evenly through his nostrils. He was beginning to sweat underneath his clothes and his mouth was going dry, but he'd be damned to start squealing like a girl.

"You know about the cure, and you know I'm the one who may know where it is. You have a hunter…Jeremy and you know he's the map."

"Keep going."

Shane wouldn't say anymore than that. No matter what happened to him, what Stefan did to him he wouldn't give up Bonnie's role in all this. Since she's the only one to actually be able to raise Silas and get the cure, keeping her safe and alive was tantamount. Silas would bring him back because he served him, died for his cause. No matter what, Shane vowed to himself he wouldn't talk.

He looked up into Stefan's flat bluish-green eyes in a face void of emotion. "Do whatever you want to me. You kill me you get nothing."

Stefan tucked his lips in and raised his eyebrows. He circled Shane until he stood behind him and braced his hands on the man's shoulders. He squeezed, not enough to break bone but enough to cause Shane to hiss out in pain.

"Well, I hate to tell you this," Stefan leaned down to speak directly into Shane's ear, "but that's kind of the point. Without you no one gets anything. _Nothing. _And that's the beauty of everything. No one gets what they fucking want!" Pause. "Shall we begin?"

"No, wait!"

Snip.

Shane hollered as he watched the tip of his pinky fall, bounce, and roll on the floor.

* * *

Bonnie still couldn't believe it. She almost killed someone while protecting someone. It was a very unusual situation to be in because the person or "people" she was always trying to take down were supernatural, but another human being…blew her mind. Brought her up short. Bonnie could berate herself for not asking more questions about expression, how it originated, its true purpose. If a witch in essence had to "sneak" around the spirits in order to do spells that meant it was something bad, right? Sure it may have freed her from drawing on the power of her ancestors, but it didn't mean it was any less natural, right?

Shane said or tried to reassure her it wasn't black magic. So if it wasn't black magic what exactly was it? She knew now it came with a price and that price unfortunately meant human sacrifice.

Shaking her head, Bonnie just couldn't figure it out. She knew she could make things happen and not feel crushing guilt in wondering how Grams was being punished because she disobeyed a direct order. Bonnie felt stronger, spells came to her more easily, and she didn't have to worry about overexerting herself or having dreaded nosebleeds or losing consciousness. But again at what price?

After using expression Bonnie always felt high, buoyant like there was too much air in her body, and it became a task to remain on the ground. But there was more to it than that. Some days she felt so restless and empty that the feeling wouldn't dissipate until she dabbled in a few spells or drank some of the tea Shane had given her. If that was a side effect of practicing expression she'd take it over feeling like she had one foot in the grave any day.

However, Bonnie felt like she was changing. There was no one she could share this with because, as usual, everyone was busy with their own drama. Caroline constantly had to keep Klaus away with a stick, Jeremy was being manufactured into a real-life action figure to grow the hunter's mark, and Elena well she as off having sire-bond sex with Damon or whatever.

Clearing her throat, Bonnie got out of her Prius and walked up the short flight of stairs to the house April Young was staying in.

Ringing the doorbell, Bonnie waited patiently for someone to answer the door. A few seconds later someone did. Luckily it was April who looked immediately apprehensive and afraid.

Bonnie hadn't been on the receiving end of someone being afraid of her. She hate to say it, but it kind of gave her a bit of a kick. She mentally shook her head. That's the _wrong _emotion to be feeling at a time like this.

"Hi, April," Bonnie said softly.

"Hey," the young girl replied succinctly. "What are…what are you doing here?"

"I just came to see how you were doing and to apologize again. I had no idea that the spell I was doing would affect you."

"Well then maybe you shouldn't be practicing something you're not a hundred percent sure about," April said in a rush and then looked down at her bare feet, her cheeks turning pink.

Bonnie inhaled a deep breath and straightened her spine. April might have had a point but she better watch her tone. Bonnie snapped at herself. What was going on with her today?

"How are you feeling?" Bonnie mustered on.

"I'm a little tired and sore, but other than that, I'm fine."

Bonnie nodded feeling now was a good time to leave. "Well, I don't want to keep you, just wanted to stop by. Again, I'm sorry."

April said nothing, only looked at a point over Bonnie's shoulder.

"See you," Bonnie said and backed away. She had reached the last step before April said her name. Bonnie turned and looked back up at the girl.

April stepped out on the porch. "Am I…am I tied to Shane forever? If something else bad happens to him…will it happen to me, too?"

Bonnie shook her head. "It was a one-time thing that will never happen again. I know where I went wrong, April so you're not in any danger."

April nodded and then quickly retreated back into the safe confines of her house. Bonnie, however, remained stationary for a moment. She hoped what she said to April Young was the truth. But there was only one way to find out. She needed to go have another talk with Shane.

* * *

Wiping his fingers clean of blood, Stefan Salvatore whistled and then dropped the filthy rag on the floor, looked around the office one final time before slipping out.

He had forgotten how exhausting torture could be. Not only was he tired but he was ravenously hungry. Stefan could have fed on Shane, but then that would have been expected and he was all about doing the opposite of what was expected of him.

Walking out into the blinding sun, Stefan slipped on a pair of expensive shades and made his way back to the center of Whitmore College. Only a handful of students were loitering around the quad this early on a Wednesday morning, unfortunately. So pickings were slim, until he saw a brunette and a blonde headed towards him. Stefan slapped a smile on his face and removed the shades so the girls would have an unobstructed view of his preternaturally handsome face.

He saw their eyes light up with interest the second he took off the shades. Some days the hunt was too easy. Prey fell into his lap seamlessly, but since he was so damn hungry he could chase someone else later. Right now he had more important business to take care of.

"Ladies," Stefan greeted the minute he was in reaching distance of the co-eds. They both giggled and flipped their long hair over their dainty shoulders.

"Hi," the brunette said in a deceptively sultry voice that definitely tickled Stefan's eardrums. He could tell already that she would be delicious.

The blonde, not wanting to be outdone, actually laid a hand on his arm, "I don't think I've seen you on campus before. I'm Melanie and this is my best friend Madison."

"Melanie," Stefan kissed her hand and watched as she blushed profusely. "And Madison," he didn't leave the brunette out. "M&M just happens to be my favorite candy."

The girls giggled again.

He stared intently into both of their eyes. "Listen is there some place we could all go, hang out for a while, get to know each other better?" Stefan asked.

The girls looked one part conflicted and the other part thrilled. Thrilled won over conflicted.

Melanie took Stefan by the arm, "Well we were on our way to class, but I'm sure we can just email our teacher for the notes."

"Yeah," Madison seconded and took Stefan's other arm. "I'm feeling a bit feverish."

"Oh, me too," Melanie was quick to agree.

"Well, I'm a Pre-Med major," Stefan lied. "I should probably check your pulse."

"Okay," Madison and Melanie spoke in unison and led Stefan back to their dorm room.

Once locked inside Stefan found himself pushed up against the door and his mouth being attacked. His pants came off, shirts took flight, bras and panties too, and before he knew it, he was on a twin sized bed eating out Melanie while Madison put her deep throat technique to good use.

Stefan pulled away from the pink snatch he had been drinking from and looked up at Melanie. "Take her place. I want to eat her now."

Melanie pouted but then tapped Madison on the shoulder and motioned with her finger to switch places. Madison grinned maddeningly as she climbed up Stefan's body more than ready to have his tongue artfully spell the longest word in the English language against her clit.

But Stefan had another type of eating in mind. He stopped Madison from moving any higher up his chest. He brushed her hair aside, felt his fangs lengthen, his eyes blur red, and then he bit down into her sensitive flesh.

Madison cried out and tried to fight, but Stefan was drinking her like a dehydrated man who just found an oasis in the desert. She was dead within seconds.

Disengaging his fangs, he pushed her off his body and didn't flinch when she made a horrifying thud on the floor. Melanie who was too busy spit shining his pole didn't even notice.

"I'm still hungry," Stefan muttered gutturally. He grabbed Melanie by the hair and pulled her off him. She gave a yelp of surprise and a cry of pain, and then within seconds she too was silent.

Stefan licked his fingers clean. He had been right…they _were_ delicious.

To be continued.

**A/N: For the first chapter I didn't want to go into too much detail on what Stefan did to Shane, and what he may have learned. And things with Bonnie will be subtle at first but I do have something awesome in mind planned, and it'll have more to do with expression and less to do with finding the cure. And I apologize there was no Stefonnie interaction, just trying to set the stage, so trust it is coming. Let me know what you guys think. I'll say this will be totally different from A Kiss Goodnight where Stefan was mostly just horny and hungry all the time. This Stefan, my attempt is to make him dark, and a guy who has a plan. I hope I can pull this off. But thank you in advance for reading! Love you! And if you want more, just say the word and really let me know what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well I sat down with the intentions of updating Requiem for a Dream, but then I decided to finish working on this update which has, shamefully, been sitting for a while tapping its fingers on the table waiting its turn. Thank you so much for the reviews to the first chapter, and I hope this will live up to expectations. I'm still setting the stage, but it won't be long before there's some real surprising action. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Sometimes a thought or idea could be so fragile that a single whisper against it could destroy it. How many times had they formulated ideas, put it in practical application, and failed miserably? Too many times thus leading to too many tragedies. Bonnie wasn't one to always dwell on the mistakes of the past. She much preferred to learn from them, but sometimes she needed a refresher course on how to dole out trust. That being said, she drove over to Whitmore College to confront the man who up until a few days ago had been something of a Godsend to her.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel while her neck stiffened with tension. Bonnie had no idea why she was beginning to feel so apprehensive. She had made this drive to Whitmore College about a dozen times since meeting Professor Atticus Shane. She didn't even feel this nervous, or it wasn't exactly nervous she was feeling, more like anxiety or a strong sense of foreboding, during their first meeting. Curiosity and the need for answers was a very powerful counteragent to feeling as if you literally wanted to jump out of your skin.

That's what she was experiencing now.

Nevertheless, Bonnie continued to make the drive knowing she could find this place in her sleep. Reaching over to turn up the volume of the radio, Bonnie momentarily flicked her eyes in the rearview mirror and nearly swerved off the road because a pair of eyes was staring back at her.

Whipping her head to the backseat, Bonnie quickly scanned her backseat. It was empty.

Facing the road again, Bonnie pressed her foot a little harder on the accelerator. Something was wrong with Shane. _Deadly_ wrong.

* * *

Like a car wreck he couldn't turn his eyes away. Watching the tears roll down her caramel cheeks, seeing the hysteria, panic, and rage swell on her face was absolutely beautiful. Hearing her heart thunder in her chest made him want to cut a jig across the concrete asphalt. The pandemonium around him was like his own personal rave and he was the DJ orchestrating everything from his turntables of death.

Stefan thought it was safe to cut his losses before he was spotted or her radar beamed on him, signaling him out as the number one suspect. For if he was caught how could he explain his being here?

Oh, Saint Stefan would come to visit the Nutty Professor hoping to make a deal, a bargain which would ensure him a slice of the Find-the-Cure pie, but his stomach was already full compliments of the M &M girls. Rearing his head back and laughing gaily as he made his way to his parked car, Stefan slipped his shades on as he climbed behind the wheel.

Adjusting the rearview mirror, he quickly flicked a few pieces of his caramel hair back into place until it was perfect. Scanning his porcelain skin for incriminating speckles of blood and finding none, he turned the ignition, stomped his foot on the gas, and peeled off down the street.

* * *

Bonnie couldn't believe this. First Grams, then Abby, now Shane. When would she stop losing people who could teach her not just about magic, but embracing who she's supposed to be?

Her grandmother had been the mother she needed, but was taken from her right at her most critical stage. As a consequence, Bonnie was left figuring out complicated spells on her own and learning several lessons the hard way. Abby, at the time they reconnected had been nearly depleted of any and all magic, had constructed a wall to which none of her former life could enter, and Bonnie was ready to dismiss her when at the last second her biological mother had come through. But losing Abby again and in the manner in which she lost her, reminded Bonnie that she never dislodged that knife that had been thrown in her back.

Shane had been different. He had called her a prodigy, had taught her to open herself up to another avenue to practice magic in which there were no restrictions and no prying eyes pushing her around, ordering what she could and could not do. There had been a sense of freedom in knowing that she could access unlimited magic that was neither good nor bad just magic.

Now he was dead so who was going to take his place? Who was going to make sure she didn't tip over the edge and do something that would have catastrophic results if used improperly?

The police were all around as students gathered in droves trying to get a peek at what happened. Once news spread that a professor was brutally murdered in his office, panic went off like a bomb. The flames of fear had fanned out and roasted everyone's false sense of security.

Bonnie, hand on her forehead pushing her bangs out of her eyes, couldn't answer the detective-in-charge's questions. What time did you reach Professor Shane's office? It might have been half and hour ago. The purpose of your visit? He's my mentor. I needed to speak with him. Did you notice anything unusual before reaching the office? You mean the bloody footprints that led like a bread crumb to that gruesome scene? No. Do you know if the Professor had any enemies? Yes, supernatural beings you'd think I was crazy if I told you they exist.

Constantly Bonnie tried to rack her brain on who would do something like this. Well, the obvious answer was: someone who didn't want the cure to be found.

Wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, Bonnie was given permission to leave yet returning home was the last thing she wanted. With Shane gone who could she possibly turn to for answers? The incident at school that happened less than forty-eight hours ago had already been pushed to the far corners of her mind. Perhaps if she just laid low, searched Emily's grimoire it might not be too late for her. Bonnie could reverse what had been sat in motion. April Young still had her life.

Shane…not so much.

Climbing behind the wheel of her car, Bonnie's hand shook violently as she stuck the key in the ignition. She sat for a moment, letting the engine idle, letting it warm up. At least that's what she tried to convince herself.

As her head thudded against the head rest, flashes of what she discovered in that office flashed before her eyes. Shane's face had been unrecognizable underneath his swollen eyes, broken nose, busted lip, and blood. So much blood. Bonnie remembered being careful of where she stepped because several of his fingers littered the floor like toys.

Feeling her stomach lurch, Bonnie opened up the car door, leaned over, and let out nothing but a stream of bile. She couldn't remember the last time she ate a full meal. All she had been consuming was the tea Shane had given her that he said would help her concentrate, keep her mellow.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Startled, Bonnie looked up into the eyes of a female student. She might have been a year older than her, maybe two with thick auburn hair, green eyes, freckles, and russet skin.

Nodding, Bonnie leaned back in her seat.

The young woman lingered a moment, her eyes going to the crowd that had set up camp outside of the Experimental Sciences building.

"I heard a professor was killed in his office," the young student shivered. "This is so crazy. Who would do something like that? I hope this isn't the making of Virginia Tech part two."

"Yeah," Bonnie murmured. "I have to go." Slamming her door shut, Bonnie sucked up enough oxygen into her lungs and suppressed the urge to vomit once more. Slowly she made her way out of the parking lot and began driving east instead of west to make it back to Mystic Falls.

She wasn't totally surprised that she ended up outside of the Gilbert lake house. The last time she was here, which was only last week, Shane had been with her and the two of them tried to curb Jeremy's urge to kill Elena on site.

Another tear fell down her cheek as she looked at the house. Bonnie hadn't spent much time here in the past. Not since the summer she turned thirteen if memory served her right. Usually she'd make a pilgrimage to celebrate the Fourth, but other than that, that was the only time her presence had been requested.

Staring at the rustic home, Bonnie wondered why she came here. This wasn't exactly a place she'd associate with being safe, but honestly she couldn't think of anywhere else to go.

The front door opened and she was welcomed to the sight of Jeremy filling up the doorway. Bummer. He wasn't wearing a white wife beater this time, showing off those impressive and stacked arms. Instead he was dressed in a black hoodie. But as Bonnie looked more closely, she noticed there were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was unkempt, and there appeared to be mud stains on his jeans. His hunter training must not be going so well.

Jeremy's eyes darted left and right before he crossed over the dirt pathway and pulled open Bonnie's car door.

"What are you doing here? We need to get inside."

Bonnie couldn't miss the urgency to his words if she were deaf. "What's going on?"

"I'll explain once we're inside. Come on."

Walking under the shelter of Jeremy's arms, Bonnie was pushed through the front door which was quickly slammed shut, locked, and bolted.

Sitting in the living room was Matt and Damon. Elena was in the kitchen.

"Bonnie what's wrong?" Matt asked.

Taking a deep breath, Bonnie stared at her shoes for a moment before lifting her head and declaring. "Shane is dead."

* * *

Stefan grimaced at his phone before hitting the ignore button and stuffing it back into his inner jacket pocket. He wasn't in the mood to braid Caroline's hair at the moment. He was on his way to make a surprise visit.

Damon had called him, needlessly, telling him that good ole Professor Atticus Shane now walked with the lost souls of the underworld. It had been a task for Stefan not to bust out into raucous laughter, not because of Shane's death, but because his brother was so obviously trying to rant about all hope being lost in turning Elena human again.

Who. The. Fuck. Cares?

However, Stefan would say he was mildly surprised to hear that Damon learned about Shane's untimely—well thought out death—through the witch who was there at the lake house. Stefan figured Bonnie would have hauled ass back to Mystic Falls where she could take up residency on her couch and remain there until bed sores developed. It probably would have taken a solid month for anyone to realize she had been M.I.A before they thought to go and check to see if she were still alive.

Pitiful, Stefan shook his head. She really was that insignificant until she was needed to save the day.

So here he was on his way to the lake house under the guise of wanting to be a shoulder of support because that's what St. Stefan did. He was for the people! But he ate the people because they were damned delicious.

Parking his vintage Porsche behind Bonnie's little Prius, Stefan whistled a nameless tune but then cut that out. _Good _Stefan never whistled, but Rippah (as Klaus liked to say) Stefan did.

Rapping his knuckles on the door, Stefan only waited point two seconds before the door was thrown open.

It was Elena's face that greeted him. Instantly regret and apprehension filled those big bright orbs of hers, and she licked her lips before attempting to be gracious.

"Stefan…wasn't expecting you."

He stared at her impassively as he leaned against the doorframe. "I know. This is what I liked to call a surprise visit." His eyes moved away from Elena and peered into the house. Matt and Jeremy were seated at the dinning room table loading weapons.

"Please, come in," the brunette stepped aside.

Stefan crossed the threshold and then saw his brother approaching him. Before Damon could get the chance to open his mouth, because really, Stefan was the least bit interested in hearing what he had to say, he redirected his gaze to Elena who had been looking at him pensively.

Yes, this was the first time since her revelation that all three of them were standing in the same room, sharing the same space. Sharing. Hmm. It was something her ancestor liked to do and it seemed she passed down that gene to her descendents although Stefan didn't get the chance to fuck Isobel. Unlike Damon. Inwardly he shook his head. There remained one less notch on his belt.

"Surprised to see you here, brother," Damon commented.

"I'm just full of them. Surprises I mean…given what happened the other day," he slightly glared at Elena who looked away and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. It was so easy to make her uncomfortable Stefan was tickled.

"Look, we should probably talk," Damon hedged. He wanted to speak with Stefan in private and currently there were too many ears around for his liking.

"Where's Bonnie?" Stefan cut that notion completely out. He was in no mood for Damon to waste his time talking about the next phase in raising their daughter Elena. He had released all parenting rights the second he shut off his humanity. And Stefan couldn't tell you how much he wished he was on Maury so he could cut a rug as the old man read: In the case of Elena Gilbert, Stefan you are _not _the father.

Now that there was extra room in his head since he didn't have to deal with those pesky, lingering human emotions, Stefan realized that Elena stopped being his girlfriend long before he signed his life over to Klaus, and way before she slept with Damon. He, and yes, Damon treated her like she was their kid. Making all her decisions for her (mostly that was Damon but he didn't really lift a finger to dissuade his brother), giving her a curfew, cutting up her food, tying her shoes, giving her a bath, burping her while keeping her under lock and key. Stefan only had the added benefit of occasionally seeing Elena naked and bumping uglies, but everything else in his relationship with the doppelganger he shared with his brother.

The strain to prove how much better he was at loving Elena had been released like a pressure valve and Stefan could finally _breathe _again. And he was determined to enjoy it, but not without taking a whole lot of jabs at people in the process.

Damon lifted a brow at Stefan's question whereas Elena's mouth opened but no sound followed.

"You want to talk to Bonnie?" Jeremy stopped with his task of loading a clip with specially made wooden bullets.

"It's why I'm here. She saw something traumatic and I just want to check up on her," the emotionless vampire made sure his forehead was brooding. "I mean, I _was_ the _only _one who checked up on her after she killed herself trying to bring you," pointed at Elena, "back from the in-between and she watched her grandmother being tortured."

That wasn't necessarily how it happened. Stefan had shown up at her door to ask her a question, and Bonnie insisted that he ask even after he made a weak attempt to brush it aside. Not like anyone standing before him needed to know that.

Guiltily, Elena couldn't make eye contact with him. She cleared her throat but the furrow between her brow meant she was confused. Stefan's lips twitched.

"Don't get up," he directed at Jeremy. "I'll find her myself."

Stefan wasn't totally surprised that Damon would be blocking the staircase. "Look, we really need to talk."

"And you really need to get out of my way," Stefan pushed Damon aside probably with more force than necessary, but he didn't care. Up the stairs he went and followed the sound of Bonnie's heart beat.

She was located in the last bedroom of the second floor. Stefan didn't bother to knock on the door, simply turned the knob and welcomed himself in.

He found her lying on her belly in the middle of the bed, face turned away. She was sniffling and Stefan couldn't really tell if she were awake or not.

Stefan sat down on the edge of the bed and then ran his hand from the base of her spine up to her neck. Bonnie turned over in bed, brushing her hair out of her eyes with a look of distress on her face.

"Hey," Stefan said in a dulcet tone but loud enough for the other vampires to hear. He wanted them to hear, too. "I heard what happened to Shane," again it took some doing for Stefan to maintain a straight face. "I'm sorry, Bonnie."

Since arriving Bonnie tried not to think about seeing Shane like that, but unfortunately it was all her brain wanted to focus on. She would have thought by now she would be used to people she was close to or had been associated with, dying on her, but it never got any easier. In fact, it only became harder as more time passed because every life was precious, and for it just to end like that—so ruthlessly and inhumanly—Bonnie honestly wanted nothing to do with the supernatural world any longer.

She knew staying out of it was next to impossible. Lucy, her cousin, had advised her that being in the middle of it was where she needed to be because she was one of the good ones. Well, hate to disappoint you Lucy, but I haven't exactly been good for a while.

It was a hollow feeling that was carving its niche in her heart. Bonnie could have killed April, accidentally, but the girl would have been dead all the same. If she was capable of that whether intentionally or unintentionally, Bonnie couldn't help but wonder what else she might be capable of doing in the future.

Staring at Stefan brought it all back. She should have gone home where she could be alone, but Bonnie didn't want to be alone with her grief. Not this time around.

Sitting up in bed, wordlessly she leaned forward and found herself engulfed in Stefan's arms. "I know this is ridiculous but I can't help but think Shane's death is somehow my fault."

Stefan said nothing. Only listened as he brushed a hand down the back of Bonnie's head.

"I went to his office to confront him about the protection spell he taught me. I had…I somehow linked Shane and April's lives together. I was killing her while saving him. I went to see April to apologize and then I drove to Shane's…and I saw…" Bonnie shut her eyes.

"Shush, it's okay."

"No, it's not, Stefan," Bonnie pulled away. "I know everyone thinks…thought Shane was creepy because he had all these ideas and said he knew where the cure for immortality was, but…he was my friend. I don't have a lot of friends so to lose one even if he had ulterior motives still hurts, you know?"

He did know. Right now, Stefan was recalling all the pleas Shane had shouted in all the languages he knew hoping he might say the magic word to get the determined vampire to stop sawing into his bones.

Stefan cupped her cheeks and wiped her tears away with the pads of his thumbs. The misery on Bonnie's face morphed into…bashfulness. He never handled her like this in the past and clearly it was throwing the witch for a loop. Stefan took it up a notch by kissing Bonnie on the forehead.

Bonnie gasped a little. It was public knowledge that Stefan was affectionate but only with Elena. Though they had always been cordial with one another, they kept each other at arm's length. Other than the time he pulled her from the entrance of the tomb underneath Fell's Church, and pressing his wrist in her mouth to heal her after Damon nearly drained her dry, she and Stefan only shared one hug, one intimate form of contact.

He wasn't exactly staring at her like she was the missing half to his soul. In fact, his eyes looked a little dead to her, but that could have been the result of exhaustion. Hell, they were all tired.

"Stefan what are you…" Bonnie couldn't finish her thought because Stefan pressed his index finger against her lips.

"I know this might not be the right time to ask this…but did you and Shane ever talk about the cure? It's location?"

Bonnie pulled away from Stefan and brought her knees to her chest. "I asked but he said he'd tell me when it was time."

_Got damnit, _Stefan bemoaned internally and then pouted. Bonnie just dodged a huge fucking bullet.

"It's all right. It doesn't matter anymore."

Bonnie frowned. "Of course it matters, Stefan. Finding that cure was the only way to…"

"Make everything better?" he snorted. "There are something's that cure wouldn't be able to fix. It wouldn't erase history, mistakes, _betrayal_." Stefan heard Elena drop something and curse. He allowed himself a smirk.

"But if we can find it then we'd be able to use it against Klaus," Bonnie argued.

Fuck Klaus Stefan almost said and had to bite his tongue.

"Yeah, well just because you make someone human doesn't mean they automatically stop being a threat. I know it might not seem like it now, but consider it a blessing in disguise. Finding that cure would probably bring nothing but trouble. Let it stay buried, hidden, lost. If it even existed in the first damn place," Stefan ran his fingers through Bonnie's hair. "We have enough problems. Wouldn't you agree?"

Even more considering the Ripper was out.

Bonnie stared at him. "I thought you of all people would want to do whatever it took to find the cure. Not just for Elena, but for yourself."

Stefan looked up at the ceiling. "Things change. I'm better off a vampire."

"You don't believe that. I always got the impression you hated being a vampire."

"I hated it because…" _I couldn't have fun, not the fun I want and intend on having, _"I was lonely," yeah that sounded like something his old punk ass would have said. "For two years out of a hundred and forty-six I found happiness and it turned out to be a big, brother swapping bitch. What can you do?"

Bonnie got the sense that Stefan was talking about Elena passive aggressively and she wondered what happened. What went wrong? Then she figured it out. Stefan knew that Damon and Elena slept together.

"Stefan," Bonnie said softly and scooted closer to him. "I'm sorry that you…"

"Hey," he cut her off, "none of that." Pause. "I need to get back on the road. I'm starving. Had a snack earlier but it's completely gone now."

"Okay," Bonnie remarked hesitantly wondering if this snack Stefan was referring to used to walk on four legs or two. "I'll show you out."

Stefan shook his head and then gently pushed Bonnie down on the bed. Hmm…he kind of liked seeing her like this.

"You lay here and let the world worry about its own shit for once," he winked.

Bonnie grabbed his hand, "Thank you for checking up on me. You didn't have to. We're not…close."

"Maybe we should do something about that," the caramel-haired vampire suggested, eyes darkening.

Bonnie gulped at his words and the shift in the atmosphere. She was tempted to ask "Something like what?" but chickened out.

Leaning down, Stefan kissed Bonnie somewhere between her cheek and the corner of her lips. He waited for her to jerk away, but she didn't. Instead she stared at him so intensely for a second that he wondered if she were looking through his well-crafted façade. She was so breakable, so fragile it wouldn't take much to completely eviscerate her, but underneath all of that was a granite-like strength that not even a rocket launcher would be able to penetrate.

"I'll see you very soon," Stefan promised and promptly left the room.

When he came back downstairs, the living room was empty. Stefan heard voices streaming from outside and he caught sight of Matt and Jeremy shadowboxing one another while Damon and Elena looked on.

Sighing, he joined the others outside and found a tree to brace his weight against. Of course his sudden appearance would capture his brother's attention who began to head right for him.

Elena decided to go check on Bonnie.

"Ready for that talk now?" Damon asked.

"Make it quick. I have things to do."

The two brothers headed down to the pier.

Damon kept his gaze focused on the lake. He was never good at expressing his emotions, his feelings, only when he was at his most volatile or reckless would he forget about using his filter and let it all out.

"Elena told me that Rebekah compelled her to confess how she feels about the both of us."

"Don't you mean to say how she feels about you? Its okay, Damon. You can kick up your heels, throw a party and put it on my tab."

Swiveling to face his brother, Damon looked at Stefan—dumbfounded. "You don't care?"

"Of course I care," _NOT! _"Elena was a part of my life for two years and she's decided to throw it away for a one night stand. Because let's face it. Your relationship," Stefan said snidely, "boils down to a one night stand punctuated with road trips, one of which you kidnapped her for. I'm sure this would make a wonderful _Lifetime_ movie. Is that all you wanted to talk to me about?"

Damon drew a measured eye over his little brother. Stefan was putting on like he didn't give a damn that the nature of his relationship with Elena had been exposed, but…that undercurrent of pain and torment seemed to be missing.

"I don't want to make this anymore difficult than it has to be, Stefan."

"Stop with the false humbleness and modesty, Damon. It's not a good look for you," Stefan moved until he stood in front of his brother. "Elena is yours to do with whatever you see fit. And I'm pretty sure you won't have to flex your sire bond muscle to get her to drop her panties because she's been genetically inclined to do so," he tapped Damon on the cheek. "See you at home."

After watching his brother stroll away, Damon refaced the lake and thought over Stefan's words. His _attitude_.

"Shit."

Chapter end.

**A/N: I know how much Paul loves playing Rippah!Stefan and I have to say that I enjoy writing Rippah!Stefan because of his unpredictability. He's liable to do or say anything at any given time which keeps him interesting. I'm going dark with Bonnie but probably not in the way you may think. I wish I could promise you when the next update will come, and I find myself saying this often but it doesn't make it any less true, but reviews are a good source of motivation. If I know people are interested in seeing how this all plays out then that spurns me on to pump out chapters a lot faster. So please, if you want more say the word. Thank you so much for reading. Until next time, love you guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know, I know, I know. It's been an appallingly long time since I've updated this story. I've had the sequence of events I wanted to have happen written down for a while, but my Stefonnie muse hadn't been cooperating, but finally it all clicked into place. Thank you guys so much for REALLY loving this story and it only being two, now three chapters in. I really didn't expect the response it's generated, so thank you again and I hope this chapter won't disappoint. A lot goes on as usual. You know me. Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: These characters are the creative property of LJ Smith and The CW. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Mesopotamia—March 12 A.D.**

Torches were lit. Fire was everywhere and heating everything. She stood before the Elder hands bound behind her back. Despite the chill of the night, sweat pebbled along her hairline, her upper lip, and pooled in the center of her back. Clouds of smoke billowed from the nostrils of those of her kinsmen. She placed all of their faces into memory. There was not one she wouldn't forget.

The Elder, a tall man with elongated arms and legs garbed in ceremonial robes approached her. His slanted eyes held black orbs of insight and knowledge that many would kill to possess, and she hated to be under his direct gaze. His lips parted and her heart beat wildly against her chest plate because she knew he was going to issue her death when the evidence against her was circumstantial at best. But it wouldn't matter because he ruled these lands, and people feared him for the things he could do and the things they had _yet _to see him do.

"You have led yourself to be deceived, Qetsiyah daughter of Peleth. You have consorted with the son of our greatest enemy. You have comingled bloodlines, and have created an abomination. This is high treason. How say you?"

What they saw as a perversion she had done for love and there was no dishonor in that.

"Against all charges I swear to you, my lord, I am innocent."

Her words started the cacophony of outrage and disbelief. How could she plead her innocence when there were so many who testified to her guilt? Surely she was being influenced by their enemy right now and it was best they lay her low immediately rather than to listen to anymore lies be spilled from her corrupted lips.

The Elder visibly frowned. That was not the answer he had been anticipating. His eyes searched the faces of the other Council members, each one giving only an imperceptible nod of their head that he may proceed as he saw fit. He turned back around to face the accused, taking care not to be swayed or beguiled by her unparalleled beauty. For she was beautiful like the woman who birthed her. He withdrew his scepter and stretched it out in front of him.

"For your crimes, for violating our scared and most pure laws your sentence shall be…death."

Applause rang in her ears rattling them. Her knees buckled and she nearly threw herself to the ground in supplication, but she admonished herself not to show any sign of weakness. They may try to take her life, didn't mean she'd go quietly or without taking others with her. Rage began to fill her where hopelessness had once lodged.

He would come for her. Qetsiyah was sure of it just as sure as she was of the love he bore her. She had done the unthinkable. She alone had created the first true immortal and instead of being praised for her ingenuity, for daring to use magic that had been untouched for thousands of years, she was being condemned for it. If she had to give a reason why, she would say jealousy was the cause. That enchantment was safe with her for she had been the one to learn it, cast it, and saw the fruits of her labor come to pass. He would walk the earth forever, and she would be joining him soon.

First she had to convince the Council not to end her life.

"Have anything to say to this?" The Elder inquired.

The young witch could only shake her head, but then she changed her mind. "Of the proof that's been borne against me, I call it counterfeit." Gasps flew in the air at her audacity. "My accuser claimed to have seen me with a member of our enemy tribe, creating perversions of nature, but did nothing to intervene? Allowed it to happen? Shouldn't that person according to our most sacred and pure law have attempted to put a stop to it? No, that individual stood transfixed and watched based on the account that was given to the High Council, and thereby according to law should be just as condemned as me."

Murmurs of doubt assaulted her ears. Even some of the Council members began to speculate this as well.

"Qetsiyah hold your tongue!" the Elder tried to regain control of the trial after hearing the shifting of his people's opinion. "Scrolls that bespeak of ancient magick were found among your things when your home had been searched."

"I am not the only one to posses such scrolls. They are part of my familial legacy, and I will not be made to feel guilty for having them. You all relied on my mother to help you with your aliments. You came to her for poultices, to be healed, to be blessed, to have fertility, and I am only doing what she bade and taught me to do."

The woman took a bold step forward and fell to one knee; her lips almost close enough to kiss the fabric of the official robes of the Elder.

"You know me to be a humble and diligent servant of the law," she said quietly. "To betray my people would be to betray myself. And I could no more cut off my arm than to hurt that which I love most." Qetsiyah lifted her head and smirked just a little. She felt him coming. She felt nature responding to him moving like lightning through the woods as he drew nearer. "You should release me, my lord."

"No. You have jeopardized us all by creating something you have no idea how to control! I feel his evil approaching!"

Those in the crowd began to feel it as well and looked around in confusion and apprehension. Mothers gathered their young close, while fathers pushed their sons towards the keep to take up arms if need be.

Qetsiyah rose to her feet when the first screams pierced the night air. Tripods were knocked over and fire consumed the ground. People were running, screaming, trying to find a safe place to take shelter, but she remained firm in the midst of it all. Bodies sailed through the air and landed as dead as corpses. The Council members began chanting but their spells were useless against him and merely had no effect. Bounced off like a rock hitting another stone.

And there he was, walking over fire, over spilled blood, looking more beautiful than night itself. He was death; he was life; and he was the in between. He should not exist in this world or any other world, but Qetsiyah had broken laws, nature itself, and may have unfortunately and unwittingly damned her kind to serve this new thing she created, but in the end it wouldn't matter so long as they could love forever. There had to be a balance and if need be, she'd give her life to keep the balance.

His wicked eyes latched on to her.

She smiled, "You've come for me, my Stefan."

Bonnie's eyes shot open. The hell? The right side of her brain pounded in a relentless tattoo that made her wince, made the room spin, and made her want to burrow under the cushiony warmth of the covers. She didn't know what that dream was about, and hopefully it wasn't a vision of the past, and if that were the case then why the hell was Stefan in it? His origins began in Italy, not wherever the hell Qetsiyah was from.

Stefan wasn't the last person she spoke to before calling it a night. Bonnie didn't exactly replay his visit over in her mind, though she could say his behavior had been a little questionable. What with the near kiss to her lips, and the fact he suggested they should change their "not being close" status, other than that nothing spectacular had happened.

Bonnie didn't know what Stefan meant by that. The last thing she wanted was to be anyone's rebound. It had been a couple of days, maybe, since he learned about the depth of Damon and Elena's newfound relationship, and he more than anyone would need time to process that. So therefore, nothing between her and Stefan would change. Bonnie had too much on her plate to deal with as usual and like she said, she deserved more than being someone's second choice, consolation prize, or rebound.

But that dream though? It felt real, like she had embodied her ancestor Qetsiyah who stood on trial for creating the first ever Immortal—at least according to that legend. No one knew what Silas looked like; the same could be said about Qetsiyah so Bonnie was clueless on why her subconscious would implant Stefan's face on her ancestor's old boyfriend.

It just didn't make sense but dreams seldom did.

Perhaps there was something for her to learn, something she needed to see, but the details were already fading from her mind because her mind was stuck on the fact that Stefan had been there. Bonnie could count on one hand how many dreams she had about Stefan—the one's she remembered and when she did he had _always _been by Elena's side. Even her subconscious wouldn't allow her to have a fantasy or two about the man who had been owned by her best friend; because let's face it, Elena had Stefan _and _Damon wrapped around her pinky and she did it so seamlessly that they thought they were in control most of the time.

They had tailored their lives to fit around Elena's schedule, and Bonnie was guilty of it too. She snorted as she sat up in bed. A bed that of course was located in the Gilbert family lake house.

Pushing and kicking the covers away, Bonnie got to her feet. She didn't know what time it was, what day it was. She had stayed up until the wee hours of the morning unable to sleep because every time she closed her eyes images of Shane bloodied and hacked to pieces assaulted her. No eighteen year old girl should have to see something like that—period. Alcohol couldn't abolish the memories, and unfortunately the Gilbert's didn't keep a stash of sedatives, so she had been on her own in terms of trying to process Shane's death and the gruesome way he had been killed.

Going through her morning routine, the minute Bonnie donned the clothes she wore the day before, she figured it was time to get back on the road and return to Mystic Falls. She had school and obligations, and she was sure her father was raving mad that she hadn't come home last night. If he heard about what happened to Shane, she wouldn't be surprised if he called the FBI to find her.

Bonnie heard voices as she made her way downstairs. At first she was hardly paying attention to what was being said, but the minute someone mentioned her name, she paused on the staircase, which was pretty useless considering Elena and Damon probably heard her. She just wasn't ready yet to make her grand appearance.

"She's in shock, I know she is. That's why I think we need to go back. I don't need to train anymore since our only lead to finding the cure is dead," Jeremy argued.

"Yeah, what if it's not?" Damon rebutted.

"What are you thinking?" Elena asked.

"Maybe the loony professor coughed up some details to the witch."

"The witch has a name, Damon," Bonnie stepped into the living room where several pairs of eyes swerved her in direction. "Hate to burst your bubble but Shane never told me where Silas was buried with the cure. He was holding on to that as his insurance policy, and I'm sure you can understand why."

Elena approached Bonnie and took her by the arms, studying her carefully. "How are you feeling today?"

"Not much better than yesterday," Bonnie replied honestly. "I'm going to go. My dad, he's probably worried sick and I've missed enough school for him to be arrested under truancy laws."

The doppelganger nodded in understanding and drew Bonnie in for a tight hug. "Call me as soon as you make it home, okay?"

Bonnie nodded and then waved to Jeremy and Matt who were wolfing down food as if Damon was going to snatch it away at any second. Elena had told her that Damon had Jeremy on a very tight schedule on top of a short leash, and denied him such luxuries like food, water, and even oxygen on occasion because vampires were not going to sit around to wait to be killed while Jeremy got his shit together.

"Let me walk you out," Damon materialized beside Bonnie who stared at him quizzically for a moment.

The two said nothing as they walked the short brittle path to her Prius. "What did you want to say that you didn't want the others to hear?" Bonnie opened up the dialogue.

With the witch, he never had to beat around the bush and Damon could admit he liked the bluntness of their relationship. Never got old or stale. "How did Stefan seem to you when you two spoke last night?"

Bonnie shrugged, a little confused by the question. "He seemed like Stefan. Concerned. Compassionate. Why? Do you think he's under compulsion or something?"

Damon shook his head. "No, nothing like that. He just seemed a little…off."

"I imagine he would be considering his brother is sleeping with his ex-girlfriend," Bonnie closed her eyes in mortification. She hadn't meant to say that and sound so harsh and accusatory when she did. With the whole Elena and Damon now being a thing she tried not to state her opinion or to have one to begin with. Bonnie wanted no part of their love fest.

Damon had no outward reaction to what Bonnie said and hell he even said it himself. He wasn't stupid and he wasn't blind. He knew no one in their circle would approve of his involvement with Elena, but asked if he cared? Damon wasn't after anyone's blessing and he didn't need it because he was a grown gotdamn man, and Elena loved him, and that was all that mattered.

However, that small nagging voice called logic constantly tsked and asked, "How do you know her feelings for you _are _real and just aren't a byproduct of the sire bond?"

The blue-eyed Salvatore knew the question would plague him and though he could have given a fuck about there being a cure to vampirism now more than ever he wanted to find it, not only to give Elena her old life back, but to see if her feelings were authentic. If he couldn't do that, then he at least needed to find a legitimate and concrete way to sever the bond because the last thing he wanted was a robot fulfilling his every single desire without fighting him on anything.

"I didn't mean…" Bonnie attempted to apologize but Damon waved her attempt away.

"Whatever. Just let me know if you run into my special needs brother and he doesn't seem or isn't acting like himself. It's important."

"I'll try but I have a lot on my mind right now."

"Un-hun. We're going to find another way to get the cure. Professor Shane couldn't have been the only obsessive moron to buy into this whole Silas bullshit."

"I think we should leave it alone, Damon. At least for a while. Shane's dead because someone doesn't want the cure to be found. If we keep digging, more people could end up dying. In the end, would it have been worth it? We just don't have enough information to go on to take that kind of risk."

Damon would concede Bonnie was right. But he hated leaving things unfinished. He opened up Bonnie's car door for her, watched her climb in, and start the engine.

Bonnie rolled down the window. "Are you going to keep training Jeremy?"

Placing his hands on his lean hips, Damon hunched his shoulders. "Seems kind of pointless now. Without Shane…" he let his thought trail off.

Bonnie nodded in understanding and then put the car in reverse. She didn't say good bye to Damon. They didn't have that kind of relationship where saying 'hi' and 'bye' was important. As she drove back to Mystic Falls images from her dream and then her memories from discovering Shane's body kept attacking her. Bonnie nearly plowed into the back of two cars before she forced herself to pay attention to the here and now and not the past.

Her stomach growled loudly and though her physical hunger was potent enough there was another much deeper hunger in her that was just as dominate. Only this time it was a hunger for answers about her ancestry and her magic. This hunger felt different, ravenous but she didn't know its origin of inception. Suddenly Bonnie wanted to try spells, spells that weren't words but mostly symbols of words like hieroglyphics, but she didn't understand where this desire was coming from.

By the time she began paying attention to her surroundings she had pulled into the driveway of her home. Luckily her dad was not home so Bonnie was able to shower, change clothes, and make herself a sandwich before getting back in her car to drive to school. When she checked her phone she noticed she had a text message from Caroline asking if she could cover for her after school.

"Ugh," Bonnie groaned. Decorating the gym for the 80's decade's dance was not on her list of important things to do, but it was something normal and Bonnie could use all the normal she could get. Almost inadvertently killing someone, seeing her mentor hacked to pieces, and dreaming about one's ancestor defying her entire heritage to make a man she loved immortal left her feeling anything but normal.

And naturally thinking about that dream made her think about Stefan and reminded Bonnie of Damon's request that she keep an eye out on his brother. Why? What was Damon worried about? Stefan planning his possible murder for moving in on his girl instead of having respect for his relationship when he wasn't in the right frame of mind to do anything about it?

Bonnie shook her head and parked in her usual spot at Mystic Falls High. This, drama, was probably one of the reasons why she didn't have a whole lot of relationship experience under her belt. Bonnie didn't like conflict, and didn't like feeling as if someone had control over her emotions. She had crushes sure, but she had always been too chicken to do anything about it. And the one time she decided to put on her big girl drawers and approach a guy he had to turn out to be a washed up ex-football jock vampire asshole who kidnapped her.

After that, Bonnie was pretty much over the whole high school dating experience. Until Jeremy happened.

Once again, not another pleasant memory.

Bonnie got out of her car, grabbed her messenger bag, and hiked across the quad. With none of her friends in school today it would give Bonnie time to think, and to plan her next step.

Where did she want to go from here? Klaus was on his best behavior so long as he felt those around him were useful, and honestly she was beginning to forget the reason why they all wanted him dead to begin with. Because he sacrificed Elena? Well, she's still alive. A vampire but alive. He forced Stefan to turn off his humanity who became a raving asshole? He was back home where he belonged.

Quite simply, Bonnie was tired. Tired of running. Tired of thinking. Tired of people always looking at her to have all the answers. She was not a Magic 8 ball. She was not an oracle. She was not a god and couldn't will anything into existence. She was eighteen. Couldn't remember what it felt like to have her knees go weak and to suffer from shortness of breath while being kissed by a guy who knew his way around a mouth. Couldn't remember the last time she skipped school just for the hell of it and not because she suffered another major, crushing set back when it came to magic, or a personal loss. Couldn't remember the last time she hung out with her friends and vampires was not the topic of discussion.

Bonnie was finding it more and more difficult to remember the peaceful life she had before that faithful day back in September of last year where she spotted…

And there he was walking across campus, shades on, chewing gum.

"Stefan," Bonnie said aloud. He turned his head and looked right at her. Smiled and Bonnie had to admit Stefan had a nice smile. Excellent bone structure especially that jaw, but that was neither here nor there.

She kept her eyes on him as he entered the building. Hmm…he certainly didn't look like he was suffering from a broken heart. Then again, people handled grief in their own way. Vampires, Bonnie had discovered, were no different.

* * *

Damon had theories and Damon had theories on top of theories. Sometimes he was right and sometimes he was wrong though he be loathed to admit it. However, the one subject he always aced was reading his brother.

Stefan could try to hide his secrets, but they wouldn't remain that way for long. Being the one who was never chosen, the one people never loved hadn't been anything new for Damon, but now that the tables had turned and Stefan was the brother on the outs, Damon knew exactly what he would do. He had been Stefan too many times to know his brother would switch it off.

He couldn't blame Stefan, but memories from how Stefan was the last time he walked around without his humanity were still too fresh and had been especially painful for Elena. He didn't want her to go through that again so he wasn't going to tell her what he suspected.

"He's just upset and with time…things will get better," that's what Elena had said to him last night after Stefan left the lake house.

Yeah, but what if they didn't?

Professor Shane was dead so that meant any leads leading to this fabled cure had perished with him. Damon never really believed it existed in the first place, but he was willing to believe because he wanted to give Elena what she wanted. That's what people did for people they loved, right? Gave them their heart's desire? Damon might be a slow learner when it came to having a healthy relationship, but he wanted Elena to love him, but this whole sire bond shit was muddying things to a certain degree. Okay, why lie it was muddying things to a huge fucking degree.

Damon wanted to believe her when she said "I love you." But he couldn't. He had to know the truth. Once and for all.

However, if Stefan switched off, Elena loving him in the end would be a moot point if he couldn't reach his brother and pull him back from the ledge.

"Our only lead to the cure is dead. Jeremy doesn't need to kill a bunch of vampires to complete the mark. It's over, Klaus."

"It's only over until _I say_ it's over. I want the cure."

"Then find it your fucking self, but you're gonna do it without Jeremy," Damon angrily hung up his phone. Originals, Hybrids he was over all of their bullshit.

Elena joined him outside. "From what I heard, Klaus didn't take the news well. What if he comes after Jeremy regardless of Shane's death?"

"Then he gets shipped off back to Colorado. I don't know, Elena," Damon scrubbed a frustrated hand down his face.

"Compulsion no longer works on Jeremy and after everything that's happened he's not going to agree to leave again. I just got my brother back from wanting to kill me every time he lays eyes on me. I'm tired of his life being in danger. We have to find someway to convince Klaus to drop this whole thing."

"It's not going to be that simple. Klaus is like a dog with a bone. He wants the cure to turn you back into his hybrid making machine, or he'll destroy it so we won't use it on him. I'm almost positive Shane couldn't have been the only person to know about Silas and it won't be long before Klaus goes searching. That'll buy us some time but not much."

"All right…so what do you want to do? Keep looking? If we do Jeremy is going to have to kill a _whole _lot of vampires and I don't want that for him," Elena lowered her eyes to her hands and noticed they were shaking. "I shouldn't have complained so much about hating being a vampire. I should have just sucked it up and handled it like everyone else…"

"Hey," Damon drew her into his arms, resting her head on his chest. "All of this was bound to happen. You being a vampire didn't summon Shane or Connor. They would have come sniffing around eventually. We'll figure something out. We always do. Until then, I think it's time we wrapped this shit up and go home."

So I can keep an eye on my brother, Damon thought.

* * *

Keeping an eye on Stefan was difficult because they only had one class together this semester and for whatever reason he decided not to show up. When Bonnie actually did see him other than that early morning brief exchange, he was talking to Tera Novak who called herself a witch but Bonnie could tell you there was nothing magical, other than her imagination, about that girl. Bonnie had no idea why Stefan was speaking to her. Tera was not what she would call a looker. She was cute depending on what she was wearing, but other than that Tera was kind of plain, kind of bland, but maybe the attraction wasn't her looks, but her blood.

If Stefan was binging again like he did around the time of the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, Bonnie could stop him like she did that night. Now, tossing him in the trunk of her car, and then locking him in the basement of the boardinghouse would be a little more difficult. Maybe Matt out of all her friends showed up and could help her, if Bonnie had to take Stefan down.

She drew closer to Stefan and Tera and tried not to be too obvious that she was listening to their conversation.

Tera was blushing profusely causing Stefan to smile and show off his naturally long canine teeth. Technically he didn't need fangs. When Bonnie saw him slide his thick fingers along Tera's jumping pulse she felt an intervention was definitely needed. Especially when she felt a phantom sensation crawl down her neck in the exact same spot Stefan had touched the underclassman girl.

"Hey, Stefan can I talk to you for a second?"

The spell was broken as Tera went from looking besotted to pissed and territorial in a nanosecond. Her hazel eyes shot daggers and she stepped closer to Stefan as if staking her claim. Bonnie wanted to roll her eyes and tell her to chill.

"Sure, you know I have all the time in the world for you, Bonnie," Stefan said and Bonnie didn't get the sense he was making fun of her, but she could be wrong. "Tera…I'll talk to you about that thing later."

"Okay, Stefan," she gushed. Bonnie stared at her drolly.

The two estranged friends moved down the hall and now that she had him alone and unofficially cornered, Bonnie didn't know what to say to him that would sound legit. But then, something did come to her.

"I wanted to thank you again for coming to talk to me last night."

"You would have done the same thing for me," Stefan replied automatically replaying all those dull and noble conversations he had with Bonnie and the blonde. His eyes roamed over Bonnie, taking note of how her shirt molded to her breasts and her jeans to her hips. He had to have been blind or seriously misguided not to notice how hot-to-trot the witch was, but she was annoyingly unaware of how tempting she was.

Stefan might not have spent a great deal of time with witches, but he could appreciate a powerful one when he stood in her presence. If he played his cards right he could have Bonnie eating out of the palm of his hand. Nothing would crush Katherine Lite more than if her best friend started fucking _him_ and actually gloated about it. He was a good fucking lay after all.

However, that would be in grave contradiction to his plans, his ultimate goals, Stefan amended. After returning to the boardinghouse enjoying the silence and the solitude it gave him plenty of time to think, to organize his thoughts.

The second Shane was dead, Stefan had combed through every single corner of that office to see if the man had contacts, people he kept in touch with who collected myths and legends like action figures, and came across Shane's little black book of educated yet gullible idiots who probably shared the same beliefs he did. Those names would come in handy though Stefan had no real need to pay any of those people a personal visit, but he would if he had to and only _if _Damon and Elena decided not to drop the whole search for the cure.

When you cleaned house one had to be very thorough. Variables would have to be eliminated even minor ones.

Bonnie had stopped walking and now faced him. She was scared, Stefan could easily spot that. Yet also determined to fight her way through her fear. Some base part of him could admire her for it, but at the end of the day determination would not spare your life from a bloodmongering vampire such as himself.

He wanted to touch her, and that caught him slightly off guard. Stefan couldn't understand why the whim was there, but it was.

Bonnie looked up at Stefan with wide eyes, peering into him as if reading his soul. She saw what she always saw when she looked at him, something did flicker, but it happened much too fast for Bonnie to place a name on it.

"I'm surprised you're in school," he said to keep the conversation going.

"I couldn't stay home. If I did I'd only end up thinking about Shane."

"Do you know if he has any family?" I am so bored with this conversation already, Stefan thought.

Bonnie shook her head. Shane didn't really disclose much about himself other than what he learned about Expression. The only personal information Bonnie did know was that Shane had a wife and son but they were dead.

Just like him.

"Well look who it is, the witch and the Rippah."

Stefan's hackles rose at the sound of Rebekah's voice. His eyes flashed mercury for a moment before he resumed his cool façade.

"What do you want, _bitch_?" was the first thing to come to mind and out of Stefan's mouth.

A divot formed between Rebekah's perfectly arched eyebrows while she pouted her full lips. "Now is that anyway to greet the woman responsible for revealing just how cruel and deceptive Elena is? I helped knock her off that pedestal you had her on. The least you can do, after insulting me, is thank me for exposing the truth. She was making you look like a fool, Stefan."

"Yeah?" Stefan vampire sped to Rebekah, hand around her throat, and brutally pushed her up against the wall to the point it cracked. Stefan kicked her legs apart. "No thanks to you!" he seethed through clenched teeth.

Bonnie gasped a bit and quickly glanced down both ends of the hall to see if anyone was looking. "Stefan let her go."

"You better listen to the witch, mate," Rebekah warned.

_Why is it so hard for people to call me by my gotdamn name_, Bonnie roared internally. She was tired of the disrespect. On second thought, punch her good for me, Bonnie thought.

"Let's get one fucking thing perfectly clear, Rebekah. You didn't do me any favors the other day so therefore I don't owe you shit. If you know what's best for you. Stay. The. _Fuck. _Away. From. Me. And I'm not going to tell you again because if I have to I swear on your brother Finn's grave I will drive a stake through your gotdamn heart, you rundown bitch! Now get out of my sight."

Stefan pushed away from Rebekah and flung her, by the neck, two feet down the hall. There was nothing but madness, hurt, humiliation, and yes murder dancing her in cerulean orbs.

"You're going to pay for that, Stefan. Mark my words, asshole, you will pay."

Stefan yawned and flicked the lapels of his shirt. "Put it on my tab."

Rebekah scowled at him before marching off.

Bonnie said nothing because there was nothing to say. Did she think Stefan went a little overboard? Naturally. Did Rebekah deserve to be manhandled? No, not necessarily but she provoked a sleeping lion and got her head bitten off for it. She and Rebekah had never exchanged words to each other but in that moment she at least wanted to know if she were okay.

Bonnie decided to let the entire incident go. She had to get to class.

"I'll be seeing you soon, Bonnie," Stefan's words sounded like a promise as he took two steps away, but then faced her again. "On second thought, now that I have you here. Come with me."

"I have to go to…"

"Is learning about Aristotle really going to help you pay your bills? No. Come with me."

Alarms sounded in the back of Bonnie's mind, but she followed behind Stefan constantly looking over her shoulder to see if anyone was around who might intervene and do what exactly?

Stefan led her outside where they took a seat on one of the various picnic tables. Everywhere she looked she saw nothing but green grass and empty fields. They were completely isolated since they were the only two students not in class.

Bonnie stretched her arms out on the hard surface of the table and waited for Stefan to speak. The last time they sat this close to one another was the time her magic went glitchy and she couldn't do a simple floating spell with a leaf. Stefan had asked her to see if touching Elena's necklace might give her a vision of her friend's whereabouts since Damon kidnapped her. She had no idea what Stefan might want to talk to her about now.

"I know I brought this up already but I really need to know everything Professor Shane told you about the cure."

"Not this shit again," Bonnie mumbled but didn't mean to say out loud. "I already told you, Stefan. He didn't say much. He was only concerned about teaching me Expression. That's all we ever talked about or did."

Right, Stefan wasn't buying it.

It was amazing to him that no one seemed to question why Bonnie was so important, or why the Bennett's—period seemed to be central to them defeating a foe. When it all boiled down to ingredients, you had to have a chef. Everyone was looking at Shane as the chef, but no he did the prep work. The true cook was the one who took the ingredients and made a soufflé.

The chef in this case was Bonnie.

"Could you just try?" Stefan mustered on and tried to keep his aggravation at bay and not haul off and snap her neck. "Close your eyes and think back to all your conversations. Maybe Shane might have revealed something he said thinking you might not make a connection. Was there a place he frequently referenced? Did he ever tell you where Expression originated?"

Bonnie shrugged. She couldn't really think straight, not with Stefan breathing down her neck. So she closed her eyes and tried to block him out the best she could.

Stefan's smile was deadly. Oh, he could give a shit about where Expression or any of that zippity-boppity-boo crap hailed from. That wasn't important. Getting Bonnie to lower her guard so she'd never see it coming—that was important.

The stealthy vampire slid closer to the witch, feeling her warmth, could literally see her thinking with her eyes closed. Her skin smelled sweet and was partially distracting him, but he had a goal.

"That's it," Stefan coaxed softly, "take your time and remember." He was getting hard.

Bonnie tried to force the memory or memories out. She felt Stefan hovering, felt him getting close, and when one finger touched her neck she caught a flash of memory and she was viewing something through his eyes, but what she was seeing confused and scared the hell out of her.

There was so much blood. It covered his hands, his jeans, his boots. Footprints. Shane's office. He didn't!

Bonnie jumped up right before Stefan could wrap his hands around her neck.

"I have to go," Bonnie scrambled to collect her things and sped walked back to the safety of the school.

Did he do it? Did he kill Shane? Or had he simply discovered the body? No, if he had discovered the body he would have told, Bonnie was sure of it. Her friends—using that term loosely—wouldn't have been surprised when she showed up at the lake house to tell them Shane was dead. Stefan would have already alerted the cavalry. He had to have done it. He had to have been the one to kill Shane.

But why? Didn't he want the cure so he could take it and be human again? Didn't he hate being a vampire and being a slave to blood? What was Stefan about to do before I caught that vision? That question alone was enough to chill her straight to the bone.

Bonnie had muttered those questions to herself over and over again for the remainder of the day. She dare not go home knowing there was safety in numbers and besides she had promised Caroline that she would take over decorating the gym, but only for today.

She understood what she saw but she didn't understand it at the same time. Damon had asked her to monitor Stefan's behavior. What did Damon suspect? You're smart Bonnie and you can figure this out.

Humanity? Did Stefan shut off his humanity?

"Hey, Bonnie we're out of those cellophane stars. Can you grab some more? Caroline stores them in the art room closet."

"All right," Bonnie said and left the confines of the gym. She may have gotten a good twenty feet away before the wind was knocked out of her and she saw stars of another kind dancing behind her lids.

* * *

Violence against women was not hot, cute, or sexy, but foolish men thought it was the fastest and easiest way to get their points across. Unfortunately when a man decided to wrestle and thought his opponent was a feeble woman whose only line of defense was a piercing scream, he had fallen into a trap, chiefly, when that woman could chant a spell powerful enough to level a building.

Terror was not the explicit emotion Kol Mikaelson saw flashing in the Bennett witch's lovely pea green eyes. Smugness—yes, vengeance—absolutely. Keeping his wits about him, he knew he didn't have time to hesitate. He wasn't ignorant of the fact she hailed from one of the oldest and most powerful witch bloodlines in probably the world, if he wanted to be technical about it. And though elfin in appearance, there was more steel in her spine than the steel that held up the foundation of this school.

For that reason alone he tightened his hand around her delicate neck anxious to hear the sound of her bones cracking and breaking, but not yet.

"What are you doing?" she asked her question calmly like a mother chastising a child who should know better.

"No one can get to the cure if you're too dead to find it," Kol hissed in her face almost hating the fact she wasn't quivering with fear that an Original was only moments away from ending her life.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and tilted her chin up defiantly. It must be Let's Kill Bonnie Bennett Day.

"Give it your best shot," she carefully enunciated her instructions. She was so _sick _of being underestimated.

Red veins immediately appeared under Kol's dark brown eyes as his fangs lengthened. This little sprite of teenaged flesh dared to challenge him! He was livid and maybe minutely turned on that she wasn't afraid of him. He couldn't even smell a morsel of fear wafting from the very blood he was going to take great pleasure in draining from her body. Widening his jaws and leaning forward, Kol could almost taste the Bennett witch's flesh against his tongue when he dropped suddenly.

Pain roared through him. A broken leg! She broke his leg! Oh, no there goes the other one. Wait…aneurysm he knew those were a personal favorite of hers, Kol laughed gaily—on the inside—then he began to feel pressure on his heart as if she had smashed her hand through his chest and gripped it in her palm. _Holy fuck!_ This hurt.

Balloons began exploding, locker doors burst open and the contents inside shot out like fireworks blanketing the hall in decorative trash. Kol managed to lock eyes with Bonnie and there was no surprise on her face as if this were happening without her say. She began to smile, ghoulishly.

Blood began to trickle from his nose and ears. If there were ever a time Kol wanted his older, dastardly brother Niklaus to intervene and save him now would be the time. However, Kol had been a soldier at one point fighting in the Napoleonic Wars and the best death for any solider was to be killed by an equal opponent. Perhaps, Bonnie _should _be the one to end him.

But he wouldn't resign himself just yet. He was an Original for goodness sake! However, what the hell did that mean anyways?

Consuming him was absolutely _delicious_, positively_ divine _for Bonnie. Finger. Licking. Good. Everything around her obeyed her command even down to the marrow in Kol's bones. Crush him. Kill him. End him! Wipe his entire existence off the face of the fucking earth and rejoice about it. Take everything that is powerful in him and devour it within yourself for safe keeping. Yes, this is what the Expression magic singing in her veins was telling her to do and Bonnie, without question, was following its lead.

Yet, her flow was interrupted when that lesser vampire—Stefan swooped in with his leather jacket flapping in the breeze, rushed behind Kol and twisted the Original's neck brutally. His body landed as an unconscious heap on the floor.

The recoil from the interrupted spell snapped at her like a rubber band, jostling Bonnie on her feet. It jarred her teeth. Her moral consciousness snapped back into place, but it warred with her yearning to kill. Eradicate. Devour.

Bonnie's nostrils flared and if she could detach her jaw wide enough, she'd swallow Stefan whole. She was hungry. Something deep inside wailed to be fed and she was _so_ gonna eat his ass.

Chapter end.

**A/N: So I wanted to start off with Qetsiyah and the fallout that may have happened after she made Silas immortal. I'm sure everything happened in Nova Scotia, but I'm changing the origins just a bit to fit the needs of this story. And I'm sure it might have seem like Stefan wasn't exactly in Ripper mode this chapter, but I thought to myself what makes us human is having compassion for others and sympathizing with their pain and lending a helping hand. With that gone, everything "bad" is augmented so Stefan's selfishness, greed, lust, his ability to manipulate all those characteristics would take center stage. He just wouldn't be a raving homicidal looney tune. And what is going on in Bonnie? Hopefully it won't take me another 4 months to update. Thank you guys for reading! Until next time, love you. **


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